Adjustable supporting mechanism



ADJUSTABLE SUIPORTING MECHANISM Filed May 31,, 193i INVENTOR. ALBERT JRHODES TTORNEYS Patented June 25, 1940 ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTING MECHANISMAlbert J. Rhodes, Pontiac, Mich, assignor to American Forging & SocketCompany, Pontiac, Mich, acorporation of Michigan I Application May 31,1933, Serial No. 211,085.

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the construction of adjustable supportingmeans, particularly for objects, such as the seats of motor vehicles,which require rigid mounting yet which, desirably,

should be readily releasable for easy sliding adjustment. An importantobject of the invention is to provide such supporting means formedprincipally of sheet metal and other parts inexpensive to fabricate,assemble and install, which is of strong and durable construction, whichcannot easily get out of adjustment or alignment, and which is providedwith improved and ex tremely simple means for preventing unwantedrattling, or play or lost motion between the support and the supportedobject, when the latter is in any adjusted position. g l 1 latheconstruction of such supports of shee metal for such quantity productionusage as the support of automobile seats, it is of course not economicalto hold dimensions within extremely closelimits, and the nature of sheetmetal, unless it be of such heavy gauge as also to be unduly expensive,is such that lost motion is apt to be present or develop, clue toweaving as well as due to the accumulation of tolerances between theseveral parts. The present invention, therefore,

aims to provide means whereby any unwanted clearance or looseness may betaken up, not only in the initial installation of the device. but at anytime thereafter, and whereby the parts may,

if desired, be rigidly clamped together, or they frictional engagementbetween them adjusted in any desired manner.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawingillustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein similarreference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views:

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a seat supporting elementconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View taken substantially on the line 3-3of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken at right anglesto Figure 3 and substantially as indicated by the line and arrows 4-4 ofFigure 2.

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken substantially on the lineii-fi ofFigure l, and looking in the direction of the arrows. Y

Referring more particularly to the drawing,

it will be appreciatedthat while two complete assemblies of thecharacter disclosed may be; employed for the support of a seat, onebeneath each end, one orany number might be'used in installations ofdifferent character. Since such units would in any such, installationsbe of like construction, description of one will suffice.

The portion secured to the floor comprises a track member It havinghorizontal and vertical flange portions, the former secured. to thefloor I H and the latter carrying at its top a T-shaped rail head I?!formed as a separately folded sheet metal section riveted or otherwiseattached. The

carriage !5 rolls over the track, upon rollers it, ii, and is ofinverted channel form, having side flanges which embrace the rail headand preferably also inbent bottom flanges which underhang the rail headto prevent vertical separation of the carriage; from. the track.

Along one edge of the T-section rail head l2 a series of notches orother abutments, such as the slots are formed. A dog 22 pivoted upon thecarriage is swingable into. and outof engagement with such slots toreleasably lock the carriage in any of various positions. The dog ispreferably pivoted upon the flange of the carriage adjacent to thatoverhanging the slotted side of the rail, and projects through slots(undesignated) in both carriage flanges, such arrangement bracing thedog against bending under the strains to whichit is subjected. The dogis pivotedupon an ear 2 integrally out-turned from the carriage, and isyielda bly urged toward locked position by a torsion spring 26, while anextending portion 25 forms a handle by which the dog may be swung toreleased position.

It will be appreciated that if such an assembly is to work freely, theaccumulation of tolerances in the rollers, their supporting axle pinsand other parts unavoidably introduces a certain amount of loosenesswhich, unless overcome in some manner, would result in undesirable lostmotion, and possible rattling of the seat or othersupported object. Toallow taking up any such looseness, and to compensate for wear, afriction take-up mechanism is incorporated, the construction of whichis'best shown in Figures 3 and 4. A friction gripping member til. ofsubstantially channeled form is supported in a cut out portion of thecarriage and vertically mov-- able therein, being provided with inbentbottom flanges 32 adapted to 'underengage the top of the rail.Suchflanges may be drawn upwardly into engagement with the underside ofthe rail as tightly as may be desired, or moved down wardly to free theparts, by means of the supporting screw 35, which projects throughaligned openings in the top web of the carriage and the top of thegripping element, into threaded engagement with a nut 36 arranged insidethe gripping element. The head of the screw is countersunk in a suitabledepression in the top of the carriage, and a spring washer 3T beneaththe head frictionally resists turning of the screw.

It will be seen that when the carriage is attached to the frame of aseatas 40, the head of the screw is covered. To allow it to be turneddespite such attachment, holes 38 are drilled in the shank of the screw,and in alignment with these holes a slot 39 is formed in one or both ofthe side webs of the carriage, allowingprojection of a tool through theslot and into engagement with the holes in the shank to turn the screw.Thus the track and carriage may be drawn together or freed, to impose adesired coefficient of friction between them, at will;

What I claim is:

1; In combination with a suitable support and a seat adapted to beadjustably mounted thereupon, track and carriage portions, one adaptedto be attached to the support and the other to the seat, and one thereofbeing slidable with re spectto the other, friction take-up means forpreventing unwanted lost motion between the track and carriage portions,comprising a gripping element carried by one of said portions,

and movable into and from engagement with the other portion, andadjustable holding means for fastening said gripping portion in aposition to eifect desired frictional engagement with said otherportion, said holding means comprising a rotatable member housed withinone of said portions andactuable through an opening in the side of suchportion.

2. In-combination with suitable support and a seat adapted to beadjustably mounted thereupon, a track portion, a carriage portionmovably supported by the track portion, frictionimposing means forpreventing unwanted lost motion between said portions, comprising agripping element carried by one of said portions and having a partadapted to slidably overhang said other portion and movableperpendicularly to the line of movement of the carriage portion to drawsaid portions together, and means for adjustably holding said grippingelement in any of a plurality of positions of adjustment, said trackbeing of generally T-section, and said carriage comprising an invertedchannel member embracing the head of said T-section track, said grippingelement comprising a member having opposite and inwardly projectingfriction portions underhanging both sides of said rail head.

3. In combination with a suitable support and a seat adapted to beadjustably mounted thereupon, a track portion, a carriage portionmovably supported by the track portion, frictionimposing means forpreventing unwanted lost motion between said portions, comprising agripping element carried by one of said portions and having a partadapted to slidably overhang said other portion and movableperpendicularly to the line of movement of the carriage portion to drawsaid portions together, and means for adjustably holding said grippingelement in any of a plurality of positions of adjustment, said trackbeing of generally T-section, said carriage comprising an invertedchannel member embracing the head of said T-section track, said grippingelement comprising a member having opposite and inwardly projectingfriction portions underhanging both sides of said rail head, and screwmeans for moving said underhanging portions perpendicularly to changetheir frictional engagement with said rail head.

ALBERT J. RHODES.

